S & S (Spizza & Starbucks)

Had a late dinner with Sharon on Sunday night, a total spur of the moment thing, arranged quite last minute. My date was cancelled, and I didn't particularly want to stay home the entire day, so called up Sharon, checking when she will be available for dinner before she flies back to Sydney. Her schedule was tight too as she is interning (read= free labor) at the local vet clinic (I think) for 6 days a week for about 12hrs a day IIRC.

Anyway, I got the car and picked up her. Initial plan was to go to the Adam Road Hawker Center as I had a sudden craving for prawn noodles soup and I have heard raves for that stall. Alas, I missed the exit so we continued on to Holland Village instead.

It has been a few months since I last went there and there were quite a number of changes. The multi-storey carpark is finally built, and the hawker center has re-opened (in early Jan 2006). So many choices. Spied a new Mexican restaurant, can't remember the name though..."El something...". In the end, we settled for Spizza. I love the pizzas there as they are thin crust and baked in a firewood oven. Fresh, warm and not too heavy. Perfect for a light meal.

We ordered the award winning calamari "Pompilio" - deep fried calamari served with with "Pizzaiola" Sauce - and a regular sized pizza "Franca" - Tomato, Mozzarella, Porcini mushrooms and Pancetta bacon.

The pizzas are all named after women, and the starters are named after the emperors of Rome. Cool eh, you can say I want a Helena or Isabella or Cesare...

The calamari is pretty good, not too chewy or cold. It is downright crispy on the outside and tender soft on the inside. The dip tasted like fresh pizza sauce, none of those bottled pasta sauce sold in supermarkets, only downside was that the out of the fridge coldness. Then again, maybe the contrast between the warm squid rings and the cold sauce made a nice companion.


The pizza arrived 20mins later (they did warn you on the menu it will take 20 mins), piping hot. The pizza was good, we loved the thin crust - crunchy and crispy like biscuits (read English biscuits or American crackers, not American biscuits). The porcini mushrooms were flavorful, but there was a hint of tartness to it, we were not sure if that was the way it was meant to be. The Pancetta bacon was bit too salty though the sprinkle of chili flakes and parmesan cheese helped to mask the saltiness.

www.spizza.sg

We skipped dessert at Spizza and instead went to Starbucks for a quick coffee and chat. I finally got my Mocha Valencia (orange flavored mocha drink) - only available during CNY period. Why it is not a year round item on the menu, I have no idea. It used to be on the menu in Vancouver years ago before it was taken off it too. Mocha was my fave drink then (I guess it still is :p). We shared a slice of low fat mango cheesecake. Once we had our first bite, we figured out why it was low fat. The fat was probably reduced as it was layered with sponge cake, hence low-fat! Lol.


If you think the mango cheesecake looked unappetizing, you are probably half right. The mango added a certain subtle sweetness which blended nicely with the cheesecake parts. You can see the sponge cake in the middle and bottom part of the cake. So it is not too "jelat" or too cheesey.